wow. you guys take a mite. verizon, hands down. i'm going to show you guys anothrt pretty obvious. i don't think color s. pretty obvious. what's pretty obvious about it ? that verizon has the coverage. verizon. verizon. as today we're st 40 we're gointo go to another chart. it doesn't really matter how you present it days away until th presidential it doesn't matter how you prit.est election. verizon. and for thsecond day in a row more 4g lte coverage than all other networks combined. both mitt romney and president obama haveeen campaigning i the same battlegroun state. this time it's virginia where both men targeted the same group try the #1astroentologis mmended pbiotic. of voters. let's walk over to cnn's ign. naon political correspondent align naturally helps maintain. jim acosta who's been out on the campaign trail wahingt' ♪ ooh, baby, can i do for you today? ♪ going . another dramatic da. lign today. virginia, virginia, virginia. pretty important place. >> that's right. a rare visit to washington for me. but it's good to be home, wolf. all politics is local. so it was no surprise to hear both candidates hit on national security themes today in their brand new nmbers speeches in virginia. president obama may be job but the state is much bigger than that. creator after all. something that could take away it's really a republican of the reblicans' most firewall for mitt romney. potent attacks on his administration. us rough the new numbers to

in battleground virginia, both that have come out today. president obama and mitt romney what do they show, ali? pulled out the heavy artillery >> wolf, we were expecting this to happen before the election. before a group of veterans, romney slammed the president for the surprise here is it' based on a recalculation of jobs. the massive defense cuts part of so since the day that barack the fiscal cliff coming at the end of the year. >> it is still a troubled and obama took office there have been a net loss in 2009 of 4.3 dangerous world. and the idea of cutting our million jobs. military commitment by a when he took over they were trillion dollars over this losing about 750,000 jobs a decade is unthinkable. and devastating. month. 4.3 million were lost. and when i become president of in 2010 to now we have now the united states, we will stop it. i will not cut our commitment to gained 4.4 million jobs. we thought we were a little short of that, but the labor our military. department has gone back and >> the president once again blasted romney's hidden camera counted. initially their estimates now comments on the 47% of americans based on actual filings for he dubbed victims of government unemployment insurance which gives president obama a net gain dependence. >> i don't think we can get very far with leaders who writeoff so far of 125,000 jobs. now, the next jobs report is one half the nation as a bunch of week from now -- one week from victims who never take responsibility for their own ton friday. and then there's one mobefore the elecon. lives. >> 47% of the people vote for and there's some sense thate the president no matter what. woulbebefo the end of the election to say every job who -- >> the obama campaign turned lost o myatch has been recovered. romney's secretly recorded we're now several wks out from remarks into a devastating new the election and he getso say that.

ad claiming the gop nominee's so every job lost since obama took the presidency has been recovered. words under the families and not one for one, wolf, as you veterans. >> so my job is not to worry know. there's lots of atsthat quality of jobs are lower than what was lost. but the numbers bear out for the about -- they should take president. >> people may have jobs but not necessarily the same salary they personal responsibility. had before the collapse, if you >> romney two days in a row out will. >> right. to link national security to the >> they're working, they're putting food on the table, but nati sluggh recovery. not necessarily at the same he's seizing on new economic ability -- the same salary levels that they had before. data revising down the 2nd >> right. and thas theissu the republicans have bacd off this whole idea ofobama quarter gdp. job killer. >> this is not just one quarter. they use to usehat this has been going on now for terminology. they tend not to now only years. china's growing much faster than at would be the strongest we. russia's growing faster than we. our economy needs to be argument now that the jobs are not of the same quality. bu ter numbers, this reinvigorated. was a very big argument for the >> but not all the numbers paint a gloomy picture. republicans six months ago and prior to that that more jobs -- the labor department announced it undercounted nearly 400,000 in ctway ey like to jobs in 2011 meaning that 4.4 say it, olf,'ve probab million jobs have been created heard it many times before there since the president's were more people working on the first day of president obama's inauguration. slightly more than the number presidency than at any other lost in that same period. point. that's the way they'd like to

but the president said there's say it. bottom line it was a small still measuring work to do. milestone but an important one >> we're not where we need to for the president. be. >> now, the other number we're not yet. looking at is gdp growth in the we've got a lot more folks who last quarter. have to get back to work. it went up but not by much. we've got a lot more work to do >> right. so the way you measure growth in to make the middle class secure the economy is how much it grew versus the same quarter, the again. same three months the year but the question is, who's plan before. and the most recent quarter that is better for you? we have numbers for is the >> an obama win in second quarter of this year. we had thought that the economy republican-leaning virginia could deal romney a crushing grew 1.7%, which is rlyve blow. the president won here four years ago becoming the first slow. ins growing about , china democrat to do so since lyndon more than 7%. what we learned today is, in johnson. but in the state the military this is one of those revisions vote is not the only game in town. we found out that the growth was football fans are everywhere. substallwe 1.3%. so it's no surprise a reporter thurse of coas got the asked romney about the deal to republicans talking. mitt romney put out a statements end the dispute between the nfl and its referees. a question romney appeared to stuck in neutral. buit's not gang busrs.t utral fumble. >> what do you think about the nfl refs? >> i sure hope they do. should be running at 3% or >> well, the refs will be back higher to be a healthy economy and r theobs that and they'll be back tonight playing in baltimore. have beest. let'sope itets to that but romney continues his push on level. a lot of people are counting on national securityish shies at an event at a military college in ali, tnks very much. >> mypleasure. with only 40 days to the pennsylvania tomorrow.

that is a state where he is election, people across the trailing the president according country are focusing in on the to recent polls. but it's one the campaign thinks presidential race. it could put into play, wolf. while we'teetrack of all thewate cooler debates, we haome exclusive eye-opening >> why do they think that? the polls have been very data about political discussions lopsided in pennsylvania not on the world's biggest social just recently but for weeks and network, we're talking about weeks. facebook. let's bring in mark preston, >> they've looked at that state he's taking a closer look. for some time. they think it's something they mark, tell our viewers what could put in play. you're seeing. >> wolf, over the past 72 hours obviously they know it would be an uphill battle because in we've witnessed a large number recent elections that state has been pretty solidly blue. of people all across the nation buzzing about mitt romney on facebook. but, wolf, i have to tell you so much so that more people are even though these recent talking about h than barack battleground polls have shown obama in 41 of 50 of these romney falling behind in places states. but do these people who live in like ohio and florida, if you these states that will determine look at the attitude of the the winner of the election, are these the people who matter? campaign, they are showing no not according to this new data worry, no concern. provided exclusively to cnn by they are confident they will make up ground during the debates and this will still be a facebook that shows in the past three days president obama's tight election come election day. >> still plenty of time to go. being mentioned at a greater three debates. a lot can clearly happen. frequency on facebook in the nine crucial battleground i haven't seen the romney folks put a lot of money in states. >> do wewh romney leads advertising in pennsylvania. that's a sure sign that they're in some? maybe not convinced it's really obama leadhere? in play. >> we'll see if that changes. can we really tell from this? >> w , a senr obama >> yeah. that could change. you're right. official explained to me that thanyou very much. today is the first day votes can

be cast in one of the voter targeting is a top ty a they're fosing battleground states that will thfo on tryi to help decide the 2012 presidential election. convince our chief national correspondent toss-up states to sport john king is in iowa right now president. andt inclu anasis on social media. where in person absentee voting >> both of t candis, sosinghere a lot on actually started today. it's pretty early, but they're ok media in legrod atpact of voting not only in iowa but in other parts of the country as well, john. virginia? >> reporter: wolf, 35 states >> ll, wolf, let's take a plus the district of columbia quick look and seewhen the allow some form of in person candidates were mentioned on early voting. facebook in virginia. as you noted, the iowa voting 56% of these mentions were abo kicked off today. we're here in iowa city. esident obama while 44% were we saw a pretty healthy line. about mitt romney according to faceboinsights. mostly students, mostly obama and then take a look atne public post, wolf. it's from a romney support i supporters . iocalling virgin yans toof mostly obama supporters on day one. now, republicans say that's overblown. if you've made up your mind to vote even before the debates, suppt rney. john loganwrites, comeon, you are going to be for one candidate or the other no matter virginia, you made mistake and what and you are going to vote. so if you're voting early, ted for obama last time. let's correct that and vote ts voting late, it doesn't matter. me for mitt romney. by and large, wolf, wt to but one of the places obama emphasize we don't know the overall sentiment of all these thinks it helps is they had a individual posts. but we do know who america's big swell in the youth vote last talking about around the virtual time. they had the support in the dinner table all across america.

bells, but, wolf, frankly they and since half of america's on facebook, this is a very powerful tool to see which down this candidate is making america time. sometimes college students get a curious. bitdistracted. >> but even though they get one of the things, the president mentioonfacebook, we don't of the university of iowa know if those mentions are democrats, her job is to tell all of her friends, all of the positive or negative. fellow students vote now. they just get mentioned a lot. >> they just get mentioned a lot. wolf, going into the story i thought obama and his allies >> things come up. were greatly outspending you can have an exam. romney's team on ads in these you can wait until election day toss-up states. and not know where your precinct i was wrong. analysis just run a short time is. a lot of student haves to go to ago for cnn shows romney and his elementary schools, they don't have cars, they don't know where outspent obama in his backers in it is, any extra obstacle can six of nine of these keep students homeda battleground states. wolf, as i mentioned earlier, early voting gives us 40 more the obama campaign is spending a chances to catch people. of t targeting >> reporter: now, republicans battleground voters on the web. traditionally don't invest as much time in early voting. >> it's going to be close no but, wolf, as ewe know this i tter what the polls show now comes as a time, this is one of spect it will be very, very the battleground states, iowa close. is, that's gone from a tie to at least breaking a few points in p, our political director. if you want to see all of thi the president's favor. exclusive information, log onto that has some republicans here and elsewhere in the coury bit nervous. they're worried about congressional races and other cnn.com/facebookinsights. races. last thursday was not the

th thinkf things don't turn around soon, governor romney be the florida would be a drag on the ticket. i talke to a veteran department store. we're talking about, we have some new video that is going to republic, former state party chairman, he says, yes, people prove it to you. are v t concerns, but robbers brly storm a saks be calm. governor romney has time. fifth avenue shop. >>rlyf a candidate loses what happens next? you'll see. woman 1: this isn't just another election. rein.. by more thfivt starts to e. that a big issue for republicans. but the way i look at it, we're starting the fourth quarter we haveon arterback. and anybody th ows fourth tion . the future of r medicare and social security. so oober will be big. man 1: i wfacts. straight talk. tell me your plan... romney has a goodtart the month, we'll be fine. anwh won 2:ired i'm tf e gative ads aolitical spin. reporr: you hear him say october wi be big. that starts e month. that won't help me that would be the first debate, n 2: earned myedicare and cial security. , on october 3rd. and i desee some answers. republicans say is is annc where do the candates stons th... overblown. doesn't matter if they ve early or election day. affect seniors today and in th futu? but look at theequest for early mail-in democrats havea find out with the aarp voters' guide at earnedasay.or countywhere i'm in, m than hf the votes were cast early last election.

that's where most of the students are.fascinating towatch one thing republicans are worrieout ashi early voting opehens, t president has momentum at the moment. they say it's critical that goney swit momentum athat voting ntinues wolf, 4 days right up to election day. >> everyone agrees, john, iowa very much in play ri now, right? >> reporter: yes. it's one of the states -- we have nineates we call toss-ups. this is one of them. seven of those nine states allow some form of in person early voting. iowa istl in play, but iowa is one of those stateshat have drifted a bit in the president's take the steps to reach yours, everyowith usgoals. favor. and, again, this is a state where republicans did very well with real advice, for real goals. in 2010. the us bank wealth management advisor can help you. they believe they have some energy on the ground. with real advice, for real every step of the way. but they've watched the last ten days, wolf, if you talk to them from big steps, to little steps. privately, they're not happy since 1863 we've helped guide our clients, with the romney strategy. they're not happy with the romney advertisements. so they can take the steps to help grow, and they think first and foremost he must have a very, preserve, and pass along their wealth. very strong debate on the question of which candidate can their footsteps can help thenen th. better handle the economy. they say he must do that in that first week of october to turn all of us serving you. the tide here. >> all right. us bank john will be joining us later in "the situation room" as well. thanks, john, very much.

today we learned the president plans a friday phone conversation with the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. earlier today the prime minister literally, literally showed the world where to draw a red line to stop the iranians from enriching enough uranium to make nuclear weapons. >> if these are the facts, if these are the facts, and they are, where should a red line be drawn? a red line should be drawn right here. before, before iran completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb. >> truly historic and extraordinary moment at the u.n. general assembly. let's discuss the political fallout with our senior ending soon save 10%20 even 35% political analyst ron bro

on a huge selection of simmons and sealy clearance mattresses.. even get free delivery! brownstein. sleep train stacks the savings. when he shows up and draws a red line and suggests by next summer as he said earlier, six or seven but hurry, the inventory clearance sale is ending soon. months it will be too late. this is the time. superior service, best seltion, it's got to be done. that puts enormous pressure i lo pguarteed assume on the president. >> this has been extraordinary ♪ sleeprain ♪ your tiet to betthtep ♪ watching this over the past few weeks as prime minister netanyahu in a series of speeches and now this u.n. appearance, i think this is trying to maximize the leverage possible forsi oba to align with himn ts idea to establish a red line to trigger militionryac the president so far is saying lus sa sylvester is no. lling this week shows the monitoring today' story country divided evenly ono would better hdle the challenge, romney or obama. but it's also true there's been including day's dealh th notitehink in the american pubor ano war nfl refs. in the mideast. >> roger goodellts in that sense netanyahu has kind monday's botched call wasnot a of an uphill argument to push. tipping pointor the league's >> howortant iss iue out there for those undecided tentative deal reachedesrday with referees

voters specifically the e eight-year pack ges the decid voters in those key battleound states that ll teine wlo gets 270 electora refs a pay hike and suspends a college votes, we're talking florida, oh,virgia and a few others? >> we thrks is erwhelming. it's rlly abt role o government. kind of ideologic divergence between roey and obama. thos thwo critical issuesher on f policyenerally the president has had an vantag somewhnualor a democrat. en morepa handling foreign policy. his job approvav tter than ratings on. buthetyahu raising the questi -- wh th differences beinma so visible by nyahu'ow visibility, the question fe pport in a couple places that could matter. it'sot inconceile given the arguments fr the iaeli prime minister. face-to-face.go meet they're both obviously here in the united states. but there will be a phone call tomorrow. what's the political fallout

from this decision that someone made that the president should not get together with netanyahu during these final weeks of this election? >> well, look, relationships are fraught between president obama and netanyahu as they were between clinton and netanyahu. netanyahu and his view of the world and what it takes to make israel secure is closer to a neocon republican view of what it takes to achieve security for israel. i don't think the president wants there to be the sense of a complete and utter breach politically at least in the u.s. going into the election. nor in fact does he want that in practice. the underlying relationship is very solid. the immediate relationship between these two leaders clearly has differences. >> we'll speak in the next hour with the israeli ambassador to the united states. a dramatic moment indeed at the u.n. ron, thanks very much. there's important news out today about jobs. and it may have pulled the rug out from under one of the republican's favorite attacks on president obama. standby. on every one of our cards there's a date.

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lockout forcing e nfl to use replacement referees. the argues the packs should have won let the results of the game stand anyway. and los angeles police are piecing together the circumstances leading to the

hs actor johnny lewis and his landlady. lewis, a cast member of the fx series "sons of anarchy" died after falling or jumping from a roof of a house in an affluent hollywood neighborhood. 81-year-old kathrine davis was found dead inside the home. autopsies are planned today. and the fbi has released video from a robbery that happened last thursday at a saks fifth avenue store in florida. ormed the floor, ordered obbers peop on the floor and took ney from some of the registers. they also knocked over a jewel ca took aag full of jewelry. fortunately, no one was hurt. $5,000 reward is now b offered for information leadi the arrest and conviction. and the king of rock & roll has been dethroned at least when it cometo one of his long, long standing cords billboard magazine says elvis presley is no longer the artist with the most billboard hot 100 hits. guess who that goes to?

well, that title now goes to rapper lil' wayne. he broke the record with games celebration that hit the list at number 82. and that gives him 109 entries. one more than elvis' record of 108. that record has been presley's since 1958. lil' wayne now dethroning -- >> keep saying little -- >> so i'm not as hip as you. >> no. you're a rap artist. it's lil' wayne. not little. >> how do you say? >> l-i-l. >> sry abo that. here the thing, wolf blitzer knows who you are. that's pretty im >> congratulations to lil' wayne. thanyou. in today's strategy session we're going to debate the impact of the isrli pmeiniste benjamin netanyahu literally awing aed iran's nuclear program. ] and the candate's sech is in pies all over the district.

the witer's desktop oordinand phone are working on a jokwi lor the secure cloud just received a revi are working on a jokwi lor frhe strt's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, canhedate w rg ff of his phone. [ candidate ] anthano every young ce i s o [ woman ] his phone is one of h biggest supporters. [ femalannouncer ] with cco at..

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intersection. >> phoenix police offs received several 911 calls from concerned citizens from the area of 33rd avenue bell. >> reporter:n he references the colorado movie massacre and columbine and says he wants to test police here. >> to find out how the phoenix police department responds to emergency sitti >> repten the movithe claims th response time f polic is ting long for law enforcement to respond? it took 14:57 from the time we were sure we were first spotted until th the phoenix police actually ar >> reporte b phoenix police sa their respime was much faster. >> once the call was actuay out spatch to the time we g tohat home, ias about three and a half mis.>> r fike according to hisfacebook page, he ao a master hypnotist and . but hislatest project was hardly movie magic accorng to >> that's a terrorist incident

because we don't use grenade launchers in this untry. >>our phoix affiliate charg in knowingly giving a fals impression of a terro act. he's free on bond. we tried to contact him for comment but n hear back, at least not yet. israelie minister benjamin nanyahu literally drawing a red line. ahhhh drill sound chirping eshaking remote tapping sound akinl chirpi tapping shaking remote wouldn't it bereat t less btery to worry about? car honking irping the 2012 sonata hybrid. the only hybrid with a lifime hybrid battery warranty. from hyundai.

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aright let's get right to our strategy session. joining us cnn political analyst

roland rtin and erick erickson,editor and chief of redstate.com. if you were watching the united nations general assembly, you sawthe prime ministeof israe benjamin netanyahu literally draw a red line saying this is how far iran can go in its nuclear program, but no further. watch this. >> if these are the fact if these are the facts,and the are, whoulhere s a red line be drawn? a lin should be drawn right here. before iran completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb. >> and the prime minister says that probably will happen by the summer, this coming summer. the latest six or seven months from now. let's get reaction. erick erickson, what do you

think of the presentation that prime minister netanyahu made today? >> i thought it was very simple and very effective. i can guarantee you what the headlines are going to be tomorrow on this issue. people are focused on what tanyahu di inrestingly enough i think it -- test on this election a lot of coti republicans praised him. a lot of democrats and liberals on twitter and elsewhere thought it wasly silist, but fact oeatter w attention to iran's nuclear rep tpay weapons program, which is what his point was. wheyou saw th, and,rol what do you k of tt presentation? >> imagery matters. think abouit. to this day we remember nikita pounding on the podium at the unnations. remember general collin powell astaf state usinthose to poi outeapons of mass destruction in iraq that we have yet to find. so the imagery matters. that is going to be the front page photo across newspapers worldwide. but here's what's also interesting. on this samay a "new york

times" reporting right now that the foreign ministry right before he spoke released an internal report showing they could stop iran without a military strike. so it's very interesting when you have netanyahu saying this, the israelis releasing report wit a military strike. >> they say there could be tougher sanctions that maybe would get the job done. here's another passage, erick, of t minister said today dily reing to what's going onóçow in the united states. >> two dgoays a from this pdi idt obama reiterated that the threat of a nuclear armed iran cant be i very much appreciate the president's position as does everyone in my country. we share the goal of stopping iran's nuclear wns program. this goal ueshe people of unite

republicans alike. and it is shared by important l >> all right. dithink?hen you heard that, what >> well, i thought he wasryin to put the president on the spot on this. the headlinesbeen around for the last week or so that he hasn't really had a cordial relationship with the prime minister or been willing to take a meeting with the prime minister. i think the prime minister by drawing the red line and saying what he said just got himself an invitation to the white house or at least a phone call with the president i think that's going to happen tomorrow i read. >> wolf, i got to disagree with that. first of all, they ha a one-hour conversation last week. what you saw netanyahu doing was frankly extending an olive branch because the last thing he needs is for there to be this sense of tension between the u.s. and israel. and, again, i go back to their foreign ministry. very interesting where you have the prime minister making his -- taking his hard line with the foreign ministry of israel saying something completely different saying, no, we are in lock step with america.

israel needs to have a strong relationship with america. the last thing they need is for the rest of the world to see those two at odds because we're at oddsh he can't get other countries to go along with the sanctions. >> the whole business oftd sanctions, the sanctions are tough, erick. and we didare prime minister in his speech say, yes, the sanctions are having an impact on theeconomy ofran and average iranians, but so far he hasn't seen the sanction have any impact onenriching ofum, the centrifuges, the move towardomsort of nuclear bomb. that what the prime minister said today. and what rond refegto is a report that the israeli foreign ministry released ggting there's still more unity to tighten those sanctions and maybe they would have impact. >> well, maybe they would and maybe they wouldn't. i would like to hope sanctions would work. but oftentimes democratic

nations from the west impose sanctions until the bitter end and we wind up having a war. i think that's what his point was. we need to move rapidly here to that red line point of drawing linethe imposing all the sanctions we can impose quickly because we're going to run ou of time. and no one wants to have a war with iran over ood cop/d cop, wolf. netanyahu playing bad cop, foreign ministry playing good cop. you stillet what youant i the end. >> standby for a moment. s more to discuss. of the hour 'llbe joing us live. 'll dius this at length. so when w me ck anot round of strategy sessn. 're taking closer at magic number in president latest campaign ad, 47. stdb thpacef change is accelerating. the way we... perform,ompete and grow. and peop are driving this change. that's the pow

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weeackith today's strategy session. joining us roland martin and cnn contbur erick erickson, editor and chief of redstate.com a new obama campaign ad is rather simple. let me play this chunk and then we'll discuss. >> i'm barack obama and i approve this message. >> there are 47% of theeople who will vote for the president no matter what. who believe they are victims. who believe the government has a responsibility for them who believe ey're entitled to healthe, to fd, to housing, to you name it. and they will vote for this president no matter what.so my

e peop. they should take personal responsibility for their lives. >> that is playing colorado, florida, iowa, nevada, new hampshire, ohio and virginia. soleaudi with some words written. the dio poion written up on how much tha 47% comment by mi roey, erick, hurt him? >> you know, i think the w it's been portrayed in the past couple weeks very much has hurt mitt romney. although i don't think it's as bad as a lot of people have thought. i k hisroubles in the polling also relate to his byan statement. you know, romney's goi to have to come up with something to combathis with. and thus far his campan doesseem to kno what to do. the shot they're running right romn in the commercial looking athe camera probably is their most effective ad to combat this the president and i both care out pele that my plans will help them. running. ng swing state ad it's >>hat do you think of thi roland? >> the problem is the ad wa portrayed, erick. the prlem is that the words

eomingdictly o of mitt romney's mouth. when healls folks ctims, when he talks abo iner of all they want are free fo, housing, thgs along those lives. you're an american out there and you're struggling whe it comes to yo budget and grocerieou are concerned out that. the botm l is mittomney is not resing spificly to this ad. he tried to double downn it what it ds is gives the rc simplut and that's the la tngou need when you're trying to pick up ne, two, three points th you itically need in tse ates. me time though, i want you to respond that ick, but ae imhe did respd to a rtain degree in an interview with nbc news yesterday showing that he is compassionate, he is understanding. he's concerned about those people. and this is how he defended himself. watch this.

>> don't forget. i got everybody in my state insured. i don't think there's anything that shows more empathy and care about the people of this country than that kind of record. >> were you surprised by him bringing up the romney health care plan in massachusetts at this sensitive time? >> no. sadly it doesn't surprise me. we're going to, republicans will,hether we want itr not. hopefully he'll hold to his word that he wlepe obama care. but to roland's pot o the middle class, i think most of the polls even though they may show him behind show him winning the middle class. i agree with roland he's got to respond more effectively. but i think they're trying to play the empathy i care card. no one has thought in the ten years of his electoral career that he's really been a guy who cared. they thought he was a guy who could get something done. i think he needs to focus on getting things done as opposed to be able to message i care like george h.w. bush. >> a compassionate conservative

like george w. bush projected himself. >> first of all, the government that george w. bush was already a true conservative. he didn't ve to lock that portion of his base up. wolf, i got to say it. trust me, after playing that sound bite on the health care in massachusetts, you can literally feel erick cringe as mitt romney said that because, again, he says i'm going to rpeal obama care but then he comes back later and says i'm going to implement some pies oe affordable care act. so, dude, yan't have it both ways. and that's romney's problem. he is boxedin beuse he was the one who passed universal health care in achusetts. now we have it nationa ankee erick who desperatelyto s a republican president are going, oh, my god, here he goes again. >> go ahead, erick. >> yep. well, i keep a little airpla he front pocket in front of me for times like this. i remember a lot of republican

candidates saying it's going to be hard for him to make the case on obama care. we're finding that wis. i think he's probably a little bend in the swing states. but i think he can do it. he needs to getoverthis trying to be l ad focuon getti the job done. people want a solution. they don't lik the guy right now. >> i'm looking forward the presidenti dwn they debate health .re the back and forth between president obama and governor romney on this issue will be i think fascinating. we'll look forward to that. >> yeah, erick's not. trust me. >> i'm looking forward to seeing how they debate. health care's a very important subject. >> yes, it is nk very much. roland martin, erickson, good discussion. in this sprint to election another pect of mitt romney's wealth in texas could become a hot political topic. you're going to find up with his quote i dig it.

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another example of how the tax system often favors the wealthy. mitt romney's taking advantage of something that's perfectly legal but could become a political liability. lisa#r syesteaslooking into th. explain what's going on, lisa. >> well, wolf, this is a story that bloomberg first reported. it's about a trust that offers big benefits for mitty and his children and his 18 grandchildren. it's the kind of thing, you know, that lots of high net worth individuals will use to pass on wealth. but the question as you mentioned is is it becoming a political liability for romney? the romney family is a tight-knit clan. mitt and ann romney like many wealthy couples are working to make sure their wealth passes to their five sons and grandchildren. a family trust established as early as 1995 has amassed $100 million according to the romney campaign. mn's2011 tax records show

he has set up an intentionally defector granter trust or idgt. also known as i dig it trust. in this case romney pays any income taxes on the assets in that trust. >> that is a trust that people create whe t assets for future genetions and they ntinue toay p the me tax on it. so i'vegiven awyn asset, t i continue to pay the income tax on it which allows me to shift more wealth to the next generation. >> what that mes is if an investment in the trust gains in value by miion over time, it's ry who pays the 15 capitol gains tax of 50,0. not his children or grandchildren. in essence, it's like passing on wealth to the next generation without having to pay gift taxes on that amount. and gift taxes have ranged from 35% to 55% since the 1990s. th is a common estate planning sttegy f the wealthy.

>> it's 100% legal and allowed der our internal revenue code. and it is being -- it's estate planning technique being used by many, many high n clients and not people w have $250 million but even people who have $20 million, $30 million. >>mecans for tax fairness action fund, a liberal 4 saying his incomeax returns are exhibit a of why we need to reform a rigged tax system tt favors the wemt thi at the expense of working amers.we contacted the romney cn for comment, but th did not return our calls. the obama adminisation has proposed revising este planning rules. and one option would be ending this tax benefit. >> it wo aect estate th isog that is now it. coonly de day and day out and has been for many ars. >> that liberal grp aricans for tax fairness actn fund is

no calling onrelee h gift tax returns. that will show more details on homu gifted to their children and grandchdren over the years and how much they paid in taxes, wolf. >> lisa, ks very much. and you're in "the situation room." happening now, the israeli prime minister draws a chilling red line for iran at the united nations. does it mean military action is imminent? i'll ask the israeli ambassador to the united states thisho also, syrian rebels scoring ne victories on the battlefield anksbly unit states.g right here in the and a new twist in one of america' greatest uned mysteries. will drling into a drive finally uncor the remains of the notorious teamsters boss jimmy hoffa? we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around rl i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

at the united nations today. israeli's prime minister benjamin netanyahu on the world stage literally drawing a red line he warns iran cannot cross in its development of nuclear weapons. cnn's foreign affairs correspondent jill dougherty is in new york joining us now with the dramatic details. jill. >> reporter: right, wolf. red lines don't lead to war. red lines prevent wars. at least that's what the prime minister thinks. in a dramatic speech to the u. l assembly israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu pulled out a chart showing a bomb then drew a red line near the top. >> a red line should be drawn right here.

before iran completes the second stage ofuclerichment necessary to makea bomb. before iets tooint where 's a few monthsaway or a few weeks away from ain enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weon. >> reporter: it was simplistic but chilling illustration of whenir's nuclear program must be stopped. and he laid out a im >> by xt spring, at sty xtummer at current enrichment rates theyill finish the medium enrichlment and move on to the final stage fromhere it's only few nths, possib a f eks before ty get enough enriched uranium fo bomb. >> reporter: netanyahu is referring to an'swing stas uranium riched to 20%, a level that exptsay urthe

weapons grade. the israeli leader has chalnged presidentarack obama to clare his own red line that if iran crosses it could on n's nucle&i facilities. mr. obama is refusing t do that argues that iran is developing the capability to ke a nuclear wpon but may nohave made the final political decision to ma bomb. omacw mr. ama wants to use and hey economic angsts netanyahu argues diplomacy norsanctions have worked. only a red linwill. elieve faced with a car red line iran will back ow and this will givere te for sanctions and diplomacy to convince iran to dismantle its clear weapons program altogether. >> reporter: the white house responding toetanyahu says as the prime minister said, the

united states and israel share the goal of preventing iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. the president made that car to the world in his u.n. geral assembly speech this week. we will continue our coul and cooperation toward achieving that goa this issue a red line has created real tension between thwhite houseays prest ama is expected to have a follow-up call with e prime minister frida and this even in new york secretary of state hillary clinton will mee with the israeli pre minister. >> le to be a fly on the wall in that meeting. also lik b eavesoppingn that phone call tomorrow between prim minister and the president. jillthanks y, very much. let's g the israeli ambassador to the united statesw ambassador michael oreoining us fm new york. he's been spending all this time with the prime minister. mr. ambassador, thanks for coming in. >> always good to be with you, wolf. >> clearly israelis, your prime

minister, has literally drawn a red line. by implication it suggests that's not necessarily enough. you need the united states to drawhat samre lin if the iranians are going to back down. and you haven't heard the obama administration do that yet. is that the issue right now? >> well, as the prime minister said to the general assembly today, wolf, the drawing of the red line is designed to give diplomacy and sanctions more time to work. we believe by drawing that red line you won't be increasing the chances of military engagement, you'll be significantly lessening the chances of a military engagement because the iranians have been presented with red lines in e past in trai of hormuz and they've backed down. we know they can see the color red. we're engaged in a conversation with the obama administratio about setting limits to iran's enrichment process because that's the part of the iranian nuclear program that we can actually see and mor. and that the part that's in facilities that areservle

and are still lnerable. and so the obama administration's engaging with in a dialogue t it. you mention tt the secretary of state will be meeting with the prime minister this evening. thidengt willalking netanyahu tomorrow. th p of an ongoing dialogue that we've had to reach an understanding about this because as prime minister netanyahu said, we don't have very much time. the iranian nuclear program is accelerating, not slowing down. and israel while it's the first target it's not the only target of iran. the target is the world. >> whearou saying and correct me if i'm wrong, mr. ambassador, that the iaeed line alone won't stop the iranians you need the united states to join you in drawing that red line and tn maybe te iranians would back down is that what i'm hearing? coination ofg said the sanctions and mili threa anthe best chance of dissuading the pursuing nuclear capabilities. having said that, israel a you ow is a small counted.

we'rein iran's backyard we're threatened almoaily with national annihilation by irn leaders an we have certaincapabilities. a much bigger country far away from theiddleast with vastly greater capabilities n threatened with annihilation every day. the united states can quite simply do things that we can't. and beyond that the united states has more time because we're right there next to the iranians and that program is moving very, very fast. >> listen to what michelle florny, a president of the president campaign national security committee says in defining the way they perceive -- the a administration perceives this so-called red line. it's very different than the way the prime minister explained it today. >> well, i think we have laid out a red line. and that is iran cannot actually get a weapon. >> that's very different than what the prime ministe says. she's willing to give it more time as opposed to reaching that 90% threshold which is the

>> i think you have to look a what the prime mister how he framed it today, wolf. he said the quon not when iran gets a weapon or even decides to make a weapon. the question is at what point can we no longer stop iran from making that weapon? and that's what that red line was about. he was drawing a line between the medium enriched uranium and the high enriched uranium and beyond that point it will be virtually impossible for us to stop that bomb because they will put that bomb together in some small room somewhere in a country that's half the size of europe. and it will be very, very difficult to actually locate where that bomb was put together. so we're actually drawing a point where the iranians will understand they cannot go beyond it. and if they go beyond it, they will encounter the consequences. they will encounter a situation where iranian leaders will have to make a decision whether they will rema in power or have nuclear capabilities. they can't have it both ways.

>> the president has said specifically his red line is we're not going to accept iran having a nuclear weapon, which is obviously a little bit different significantly potentially than what you have in mind. there's an internal report that your foreign ministry apparently has circulated and published in the israeli newspaper today saying there was an opportunity right now for sanctions to be further tightened if the eu for example further tightened the sanctions. maybe that could achieve an overthrow, if you will, of the iranian regime and set back their nuclear program. what can you tell us about this? >> well, we would always hope for a political change in iran and to bring about a reorientation of iranian policy to bring back the friendship that once existed between iran and israel before the iranian revolution of 1979. but we can't count on that. we saw how in 2009 the iranian regime brutally suppressed iranian citizens who were protesting for freedom and democracy in their country. and the iranian clock -- the

iranian nuclear clock is moving much, much faster than that according to to international atomic energy agency. the iranians have tripled the rate at which they're enriching doubled the amount of lone centrifuges that have been moved under that fortified bunker. so that clock is moving very, very swiftly. while we hope the sanctions will bring about a change, a fundamental change in the iranian orientation, we still have to plan for the possibility that it won't. keep in mind that no country has a greater interest in resolving the iranian nuclear threat through diplomatic means, than peaceful means, than israel. we have the skin in the dwgame. the red line is designed to promote diplomacy. plomll have a interest i a ic resolution to this problem. >> the president h a one-hour phone call witrime minist

netanyahu last week. president obama's been widely criticized for having time to go on "the view" while innew york but not necessarily meeting directly with world leaders including prime minister netanyahu. how upsetting is this to you? >> well, we understood there was a scheduling difficulty there. we have this conversation tomorrow. we've had a conversation in the past last week, president obama himself has said he has spent more time in face-to-face meetings and telephone conversations with prime minister netanyahu than with any other foreign leader. there's a very open channel there. at the highe leve but also atultiple levels beneath that we are in constant conversation with our american colleagues about the iranian issue. but not only the iranian threat, but about a number of issues that are currently opening us in the middle east. >> one final question if you can answer it quickly. it's a sensitive one. if by next spring summer the iranians are still enriching uranium, will israel take

unilateral military action to stop them even if the united states is not with israel? >> well, i'm not going to go into certainly tactical secrets here with you on national television, wolf. but keep in mind israel is a sovereign country. it's a sovereign jewish country that has a particularly tragic past. and we have the right and duty to defend ourselves. that right and duty has been recognized by president obama. he said only israel can best decide how to defend its citizens. our hope is not to ever have to reach that point. the red line is designed to prevent war. if a red line had been drawn against nazi expansionism in the 1930s, we wouldn't have had world war ii. it stopped a war between the united states and soviet union. red lines can work. they are a tool that brings about -- can help bring about a diplomatic resolution to a threat which endangers not just israel and the middle east but the entire world. >> you're not only being seen nationally, you're being seen internationally in more than 200 countries and territories, mr.

ambassad ambassador. want to correct the record on that. appreciate very much you coming in. >> as always. syrian expats right here in the united states are helping to arm the opposition. plus, a unique look at mitt romney, his mormon faith and the picture you've probably never seen before. vying for your attention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward.

there are quiet moments for people in syria, but they don't opposition forces say at least 91 people died in atcks nationwide today. and now the united nations once again for nearly $500,000 to re for hndreds of thsands of syrian refugees. brian dd i re. he's worki theryor us. brian, you're keeping an eye on other moy going to syria, to the rebels specifically. >> we e, wolf. a oup based here in the united stat and cana is raising money to send directly to the syrebels. that money is often used to buy weapons. now, beuse the weapons are not being nt directly from this

group, it's legal. but this has still raised some concerns in washington. outgunned at the beginning, syria's rebels have gradually gained strength taking the fight more directly to bashar al assad's regime and scoring some battlefield victories. could some of those victories have started from this computer in washington? >> that's where you can actually identify where they conduct -- where they have a stronghold. >> reporter: brian heads the u.s.-based arm of the syrian support group, a nongovernmental group dedicated to helping the syrian rebels. why did you want to do this? >> well, i have a son. and he's 18 months old. and i think that i saw too many images of what was going on there. 2-year-olds that are white, pale and lifeless. >> reporter: you can donate to the rebels using a credit card or paypal. the website states your money can be used by the free syrian

army to buy weapons. he says they've raised a couple hundred thousands dollars so far. most from syrian expats. it's all legal. sayers, a former nato political officer, got the treasury department to give the syrian support group a license so it can raise money for the rebels without violating sanctions against syria. it's a way for the u.s. government to allow donated resources from america to get to the rebels without the government directly arming the rebels. ironically, brian sayers works to get those resources there from an office down the hall which is just three blocks from the white house just beyond those trees. sayers is clear. his group's not directly supplying the rebels with weapons. it can't do that legally. he says the money goes to rebel commanders on the ground, people who they vetted thoroughly who buy the weapons. he says those commanders have to sign a proclamation of principles saying they'll follow the je knee have convention and democratic ideals. cn incomes contributor tom

fuentes says it's dangerous. >> it's almost a fast and furious situation. we'll send the weapons there and we'll track them later, no, you won't. >> how do you know these people aren't just signing the proclamation just to get the weapons and then using it for nefarious purposes? >> we use third party contacts on the ground. we use the relationships, the family members, the contacts that are all syrian-american. >> reporter: they're also providing intelligence. sayers and his colleague in canada communicate with rebel commanders directly. that was saka discussing how to get salaries and other resources to rebels manning checkpoints in syria. this is often realtime communication, aid, resources going directly to syrian rebels on the ground from a private office here in washington or a basement in toronto. the state department contacted by cnn said it was not really thrilled with this arrangement. an official there saying "further militarizing the

conflict isot somethinth vast majority of syrians want and could lead to greater loss of life." wolf. >> has this group addressed the concern that after the war a lot of these weapons would be just floating around and could get into anybody's hands? >> they do. brian sayers unlike in libya, his group is not going to leave syria right after the war ends. he says they're licensed to help the syrian rebels for two years and they plan on being there on the ground after this war ends to help gather and decommission weapons. we'll see if they really do that. >> we'll see. sensitive important stuff. thanks very much for that. today the focus is in the presidential race. and they're focuses on virginia and veteran voters. up next, how president obama's turning mitt romney's words against himng to score points with vets. stick around. you're in "the situation room." this country was built by working people.

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even if we didn't highlight them, you can tell the state campaigns know our key to victory. take a look at where the candidates actually go. today, for example, for both president obama and governor romney it's virginia. they're fighting for its 13 electoral votes holding events not just on the same day but at nearly the exact same time. our white house correspondent brianna keilar traveled with the president. brianna. >> reporter: wolf, election day may still be weeks away, but absentee voting both mail-in and in person is underway in virginia. president obama came here to this conservative stronghold as he tries to keep this state out of the reach of mitt romney. in virginia beach president obama tailored his latest attack on mitt romney to the military voters here as he hit his opponent for his recently revealed comments that the 47% of americans wlo don't pay

income taxes see themselves as victims. >> i travel around a lot in virginia and around this country. i don't need a lot of victims. i see a whole bunch of veterans who served this country with bravery and distinction. and i see soldiers who defend our freedom every single day. and i see those military families who are wondering whether their loved ones are going to come back home safe and sound. that's who i see. >> reporter: active duty military and combat zones do not pay federal income tax. and veterans do not pay federal income tax on their veteran benefits. hammering that theme, virginia senator jim webb, a veteran and military father. >> but in receiving veterans benefits, they are not takers. they are givers in the ultimate sense of the word. >> thank you. >> reporter: you might not be able to tell by the supportive crowd of thousands here at the farm bureau live amp theater, but this part of the state is not an obama stronghold.

virginia beach and nearby norfolk with their concentration of military voters lean conservative. president obama is trying to cut into romney's support here and a recent cnn poll of polls shows him ahead six points. the obama campaign launched this attack ad thursday airing in virginia and a handful of other battleground states. >> there are victims who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them. >> reporter: and as early voting starts up in a number of states, the president framed his closing argument in a positive ad where he talks directly to the camera. >> it's time for a new economic patriotism rooted in the belief that growing our economy begins with a strong thriving middle class. >> reporter: president obama reiterated that message of economic patriotism as he put it here today pushing a set of newly framed proposals to krn crease manufacturing jobs, hire more science and math teachers, reduce oil imports and give tax breaks to companies that invest

in the u.s. wolf. >> brianna keilar on the campaign trail with the president. thanks very much. the attack on the american consulate in benghazi, libya, is still raising lots and lots of questions including who was behind it all? our own arwa damon goes into the mouth of the lion for an up close look at the rise of extremists right now in libya. [ woman ] it's 32 minutes to go time, and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop coordandheator's phone are working on a joke with local color. e secure cloud just received ategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has never worked so well.

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strong words today from the defense secretary leon panetta declaring unequivocally that the deadly attack on the united states ambassador chris stevens and three other americans in libya was in his words clearly the work of terrorists. >> the reason i think it pretty clearly it was a terrorist attack is because a group of terrorists obviously conducted that attack on the consulate. and against our individuals. what terrorists were involved i think still remains to be determined by the investigation. but it clearly was a group of terrorists who conducted that attack against that facility. >> a nior u.s. official tells cnn intelligence suggested within 24 hours after the attack within 24 hours extremists either affiliated or inspired by

al qaeda may have been behind it. cnn's senior international correspondent arwa damon got extraordinary access to what could be considered a breeding ground for extremism inside the country. >> reporter: it may look like a sleepy beach front town, but it has reputation as a home to islamist extremist militia. some of them with links to al qaeda. these militia had allegedly left their bases but continue to haunt the streets. we tried to get access to one of these bases. saw a handful of gunmen there and were told to leave. e pickup truck just swerved in front of us forcing us to stop. three men got out wanting to talk. i'm assuming about what it is at we're doing here. and they seem quite gitated. one of our escorts was warned that "since the extremists no

longer control security, they couldn't ensure ours," they were advising us to leave town. but this man tells us it's far from clear they will fade away. while we were filming here a man came over to speak to us, but he was too afraid to go on camera. he wanted us to know that the majority of people here are sick and tired of being in the spotlight because the minority he says is affiliated with al qaeda. a local journalist says radical islam has always had a place here men from here fought in afghanistan. and estites are that more than 50 traveled to iraq to become suicide bombers. the highest number from any town outside of iraq. the city and its surroundings

were sympathetic tthese groups because they had a common enemy, which was gadhafi, he explains. they were all trying to bring down gadhafi. from the onset of the revolution it was the extremists that provided security. after liberation was announced says misouri, there was increasing pressure on al qaeda in yemen and other places. coming to libya was easy. among those setting up camp, once bin laden's drive and held in guantanamo bay for five years, established a unit here. alleged to have been sent here by al qaeda's ar. according to security sources these islamist militia have common goal, weakening and then infiltrating libya's curity apparatus. in benghazi there have been more than a dozen assassinations of former military officers.

sources tell cnn that many of them were reportedly on an islamist hit list to eliminate qualified individuals that could pose a threat. colonel of the libyan army was recently kidnapped. he says he doesn't know by whom or exactly why. he got a call from a man who spoke as if he knew him and said he had urgent information to pass on. outside his home in broad daylight two masked men forced him into theircar. wh i got into the car they put a black hood on my head and began saying things like, you're going to see, threatening me, he tells us. later he was forced to his knees ism.told to repentnd hen hethou hasoing to die when the phone rang. i could hear someone y, he's alive. we haven't killed him yet. you can hear his voice, he recalls. and then he was free.

the influence of these radical groups has emerged in the capital. last month they destroyed shrines including this one right in thert oripo. a move tycalf sill fist intolenc as the shrine wasg libyansecuri fce ses say facilitated e act by blockin ofth stre the mtry o teriys that it'snvestitihese charges wi that igo afterhese groups claiming it wants to avdheddingblood. and tt is the pblem. thgovernment's tlt rong enough to facewn these groups. and they always thrive weakne arwadamon, cnn, troli. this just coming c. the united state now ving m staff fmit libyafor

secuty reasons. according to a senior state department officiae're t thve i intendedbe temporary. the staff could return as soon as next week. bu w sha e the s. removing staff, more members of t diplomatic mmithe.sy intripoli. so what about the investigation into the attack on the us. consate inha,ionalecuri ribucontr fran townsendinteigen zanne kelly, they are getting d. standby. we'll go to them when we come back. [ laughing ] [ laughing ] [ laughin laughing ] ♪

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there have been lots of questions about just how much access the fbi is getting on the

ground in libya in the wake of the u.s. consulate attack. joining us now to talk about it, cnn's national security contributor, the former bush homeland security advisor, fran townsend, a member of the cia external advisory committee. last month she visited libya. also joining us cnn intelligence correspondent suzanne kelly. fran, let me start with you. what's the problem with the fbi -- apparently -- it's hard to bieve, they stillave not been ae toctually get into benghazi to start looking around at the scene of this crime? >> that's right, wolf. and you know, with every passing moment and day it becomes less and less valuable, right? because so many people have been through that consulate now and the annex. but investigators still want to get there. we've heard now, wolf, with them continuing to draw down personnel in tripoli, there are concerns over the security situation. but we know that the fbi's got personnel on the ground, they're in tripoli. knowat the's marin

protection at the embassy in tripoli. and so they're trying very hard to make sure that they can get out to benghazi and look at firsthand the crime scene, the physical setup, to understand -- it's the only way to really understand the facts of what happened and how they unfolded there. >> is the problem that the libyans aren't cooperating? is there another interagency-u.s. problem going on here? what's the issue? >> you know, wolf, i think probably the right answer is all of the above. we know the libyans today issued a statement saying they had offered to get the fbi out to ngha. they belve they could do that safely. that it was not a security issue. i think american officials though are concerned about security. we've also heard that there have been some interagency wrangling right between the state department who's got to be the interface with the libyan government, make the request and then facilitate it. and they've got fewer pers on t. the secrety' dealing with the u.n. general assembly pulling on her time and attention. we understand there are multiple

things that have sort of slowed down the fbi's investigation and caused some frustration. >> suzanne, what are you hearing about this investigation? what's the latest you're hearing from your sources? >> right. the u.s. official is saying that as fran mentioned the fbi tame has not gone to benghazi more out of concern for the security of the team according to them. however, fran touched on an important point which is going through the crime scene itself to see what's leftover. and there's another important point is having access to the people to get interviews. witnesses and people who may be suspected of having some sort of relationship with the actual attack itself. so that human source and those interviews are going to be realortaly imp for fbi investigators to help piece together what exactly happened that night. tendedkema o mething that is even months. and for the u.s. to kind of ink that they can mrcin and tansweronthis right ay is simply not realistic. to today, pilmudd held high level positions both ati and a, ht te chalnges ahead finveigators t a the relationship with the

libyans in this case in particular is so important. take a listen to what h had to say. >> i think over time some of the people who are involved including people from al qaeda, the local organization associated with al qaeda might talk i doubt th would tto an american investigator directly. that's one of the major reasons you want to build relationships in tripoli with the local service. who's going to get you there in the first place? in the wake of what just happened, i would not want to have american investigators running around looking for interviewees. i would want someone who was my friend building a relationship in a cafe doing it for me. >> that's why the relationship between the partnership between the americans and libyans is so important, wolf, they need the friends in libya to get access to the people they need to talk to as well as the crime scene. >> bring fran back into this conversation. fran, i can't tell you how many people have said to me why is it possible that cnn and other news organizations can send journalists out there to benghazi, interview a whole

bunch of folks, walk around the crime scene, pick up stuff, whateverhey want. arwa damon and her team, they were there for several days as you well know. why can they get in there and do this and then leave but u.s. military or fbi or other personnel can't do it? >> well, wolf, for one thing, when we go in -- when journalists go in, they don't go in as representatives of the united states government, right? we're media personnel. and there's a certain respect and sort of safety in that. anybody who goes in there representing the united states government is, you know, because it's not just the individual, they are representing our nation. so they are at greate risk. i will tell you th oftentimes in worki with the host country's service, in this case the libyans, we can get direct access. and the fbi investigators i've spoken to have made perfectly clear it's much more effective to be able to be present even if you're doing that interview alongside the host government than to have to do it through

passing questions. there's plenty of room for misunderstanding, for a lack of follow-up and information. so it makes for a much more effective investigation if the fbi can get permission to have direct access along with their libyan counterparts. >> fran townsend, thank you. suzanne kelly, thanks to you as well. we'll stay on top of this story. mitt romney focused in on military veterans today. we're focusing inhen we come back on h faith and a picture of romney that you've probably never seen before. [ male announcer ] this is rudy.

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mitt romney's mormon fait epared him for a tough campai. front and center with this week's cover story the minmon tt. in the piece john meacham writes

viewing romney through the mormon understanding of history lps him underst his devotion and understanding of history and his devoti to personal liberty and hi comfort with expediency. a an intriguing artaical to how his mormon faith has impacted his campaign style. elaborate a little bit. >> one of the points that john makes, wolf, is that mormonism in many ways is the quintessential american religion. joseph smith saw america as the promise land, as the place where the second coming would happen and it's a religion, basically, based in and vested in the idea of american exceptionalism. on the one hand, that should enable governor romney to talk about america in that way. the other point that he makes that you alluded to earlier, a religion in terms of its existence in america is based on adrsity andrej pice and combatting adversity and that should allow him also to rise to

the occasion during presidential campaign. >> it makes it, presumably, a stronger campaigner out there, given the rough and tumble of a political campaign that's under way. you've also uncovered a really intriguing, pretty good picture that we've never seen of mitt romney before. i'll put it up on the screen. i want you to explain what's going on in this picture. >> yes, we think it's from about 69, wolf. it's gernor rney was on his missionary lead in france as a young man and it was when h was still courting then ann davies who was later tome his wife and hendriend of his made a numberf these kinds of photographs of him wooing ann. it say i le ann on the beaches of southern france and it shows a sidef governor romney that we haven't really seen before. romantic, sentimental side. >> he also showed us a little personal side of him on the campaign trail today. let me play this clip and then

we'll discuss. >> and he said, i have a young lady that i'm in love with and we haven't been married and i'm going to go off to conflict. could you marry us? said, i don't see why not. ceught them nd the entire pronounced the wedding ceremony. i figured i was the governor, i could do whatever the heck i wanted to. so, i married these two and when i got back to the office they said, you know, there's this thing called a marriage license, did you know about that, governor? >> the soldier was about to be deployed and a nice story and sort of goes along perfectly with what you guys are writing in "time" magazi. >> we didn't plan it that way, wolf. and it was a picture that we've had for a while and when john's story was, you know, in process, i realized, hey, this is while governor romney was on his missionary period. it seemed appropriate. but, obviously, wolf, they are

trying to humanize him a little more and make him more appealing to people, particularly to women voters and i think certainly that story that we just heard and this picture would help in that respect. >> certainly would. the mormon in mitt is the cover story in "time" magazine. thank you, rick, for joining us. >> thank you, wolf. one of america's oldest unsolved mysteries and it may, may lie underneath a driveway. ♪ ♪

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jimmy hoffa starting a new chapter. countless tips and fruitless searches for his remains off and on since thee vanished 37 years ago. but a new tip has police preparing to tear up a slab of concrete outside a michigan home.

cnn is taking a closer look at the dig. >> reporter: what happened to jimmy hoffa? the notorious one-time teamster union's boss with ties to organized crime disappeared in 1975. now, police plan to drill under the driveway of this suburban detroit home. after receiving a tip from a man who said he'd seen a body being buried here around the time hoffa went missing. initial testing shows there is something underneath the concrete. friday morning, police will take a core sample from the soil there and test it for human remains. >> we do believe that he may have seen a body and as a result we did the ground penetrating radar and we're going to take it to the next step and check for human remains and if that does, in fact, happen, then we will start to escavate. >> reporter: it will be taken for analysis.

this isn't the first time authorities have followed a tip like this. >> there's been a lot of earth moved looking for the remains of jimmy hoffa, all negative so far. i mean, you're talking about digging football stadiums and fields a backyards and basements. ng on this new dig, but we spoke with former fbi assistant director tom fuentes who ran the bureau's organized crime for five years. >> what are the chances that this is hoffa buried underneath this driveway in michigan? >> i would say close to zero. >> why is that? >> if they wanted to dispose of a body when they killed somebody, first of all, they wouldn't do it in a sallow grave under someby's driveway. they wouldn't do it in front of a witness. test results next week, which could bring us one step closer to figuring out, what happened to jimmy hoffa. wolf, we did get a statement from the teamsters saying "the

hoffa family does not respond every time a tip is responded. the fbi keeps the family informed and they have no comment until there is a reason to comment." >> what else do we know about what the authorities think might have happened? >> this has been pretty fainating talking to all these folks about this. they believe the mob put a hit on hoffa. fuentes says one of the working theories was the people who ordered hoffa killed would have ordered his killers killed so that there would be no one left to talk about it. two other fbi agents said they think the killers may have been survived and rewarded by the mob. >> thank you. happening now, israel's prime minister draws a red line. now president obama's campaign is responding. forget waiting until election day, voting already started in the ccial baound states. andur national security secrets being revealed by hollywood. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room."

a dire warning and a dramatic illustration by the israeli prime minist.ited natio general assembly benjamin netanyahu literally drew a red line as he urged the world to stop iran from developing a nuclear weapon. >> where should a red line be drawn? a red line should be drawn right here. before, before iran completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb. before iran gets to a point where it's a few months away or a few weeks away. from emassing a enough uranium to make a nuclear weapon. >> dramatic words, indeed. kate baldwin is here, as always.

kate, stand by. we also want to ta about what's going on with the obama campaign's national press secretary ben lebolt joining us live from chicago. very quickly, ben, does the president agree with prime minister netanyahu's definition of a red line? >> wolf, the president reaffirmed that we will not allow iran to develop a nuclear weapon. we saw the prime minister today praise the president for his reaffirmation that we do not have a policy of containment. >> his definitioof not that ira nuclear bomb, but you saw that 90% threshold, which is different what the president and other obama administration officials have said in defining their red line. you see the difference ther between what the prime minister's position is and what the prident's position is.he pr that we will not allow iran to develop a nuclear weapon. he's rallied in international

coalition that applied crippling sanctions to the iranian regime and we will not allow iran to develop a nuclear weapon under any conditions. >> will you allow iran to get to that 90% threshold close enough to develop a nuclear weapon? >> the president made very clear in his speech before the u.n. general assembly that we will not allow iran to develop a nuclear weapon. >> spell it oufor us, ben, where is the daylight between prident obama and benjamin netanyahu with regard to iran? >> i think what you've heard from israeli officials during this administration is that there's been unprecedented security operation between the united statesnd israel. security assistance for the united states to israel under this administration. >> let me focus in on the issue of sanctions. you heard the prime minister say the sanctions of help, they are

putting the squeeze on iranians but they haven't and they're suggesting that there is an opportunity to further tighten sanks on iran. is the obama administration, based on wt you know, ben, to further tighten sanctions on iran? >> wolf, you know that i'm a campaign official. i don't he access to the source of intelligence that administration officials do. what the president said before the u.n., he would not allow iran to develop a nuclear weapon. >> other issues we want to discuss with you out there on the presidential campaign. focusing today, by the way, on virginia and the state's many military voters. jim acosta is joining us now with details on what's going on on that front. what is the latest as far as the president and mitt romney are concerned specifically in virginia? >> well, wolf, as you know, there was no surprise to hear both candidates go after each other on national security

themes. in their speeches today in virginia, they focused not only on defense issues but also the economy. the state is much bigger than just a battleground state over issues of national security and the economy, wolf. it's really a republican firewall for mitt romney. >> in battleground, virginia, they pulled out the heavy artillery. romney slammed the president for the massive defense cuts that are part of the fiscal clip coming at the end of the year. >> it is still a troubled and dangerous world and the idea of cutting our mitary commitment by trillion dollarsver this cade is unka and devastating. and when i become president of the united states, we will stop and i will not cut our commitment to our military. >> president, once again, blasted romney's hidden camera comments on the 47% of americans he dubbed victims of government dependence. >> i don't think we can get very

far with leaders who write off half the nation as a bunch of victims who never take responsibility for their own lives. >> 47% of the people who vote for president obama -- >> obama campaign turned secretly recorded remarks into a devastating new ad find the gop nominee's words under the faces of family as and veterans. >> and they will vote for this president, no matter what. they should take personal responsibility. >> romney, who has courted veterans two days in a row is out to link national security to the nation's sluggish covery. he is seizing on new economic dertment revised down from 7% to 1.3% thiss n just oneer. this h be going on now for ars. china is growing much faster than we, our economy needs to be

reinvigorated. >> not all the numbers paint a gloomy picture. the labor department announced it undercounted nearly 400,000 jobs in 2011, meaning a 4.4 million jobs have been created since the president's inauguration. slightly more than the number lost in that same period. but the president saidthere's >> we're not where we need to be, not yet. we've got a lot more folks who have to get back to work. we've got a lot more work to do to make the middle class secure, again. but the question is, whose plan is better for you? >> obama win a republican-leaning virginia, could deal romney a cshin blow. the president won here four years ago, becoming the first democrat to do so since lyndon johnson. in this state, the military vote is not the only game in town. football fans are everywhere. it's no surprise a reporter asked romney about the deal to end the dispute between the nfl and its referees.

the esonomneappe to fumble. >> what do you think about the nfl? >> i sure hope they do. >> and, of course, the professional refs are back in business. they start tonight in the game between baltimore and cleveland. but moving back to mitt romney out on the campaign trail, he continues his push on national security issues with an event at a military college in pennsylvania, that is tomorrow. after a fund-raiser in philadelphia and this is a state, wolf, where he is trailing the president by double digits, but it's a state the campaign thinks it could put into play. i talked to a senior romney adviser who said just that earlier this week, wolf. >> let's see if the romney campaign starts putting some money and buying commercials. that would back up their assessment, if that's what they believe. let's bring back the panel, he is the national press secretary. you saw the revision of the gdp, the economic threat numbers. austan goolsbee the chief economist.

he said if gdp is growing less than 2% or if things go wrong in europe, he is going to be facing trouble. how worried are you, ben, about the fact that the economic growth went down to a pretty poor 1. -- what, 3%? >> the president is being clear that there is more that we can do to today to grow the economy at a quicker pace. he put a job's act on the table. had it on the table since last september that independent economists said would grow the economy by another percent. congressman ryan has obstructed that plan and governor romney has opposed it. ultimately, i think, youave a choice between two plans here. the fact is that the president a plan and you saw that two-minute spot and talking about how we will create the sustaining jobs from middle class and create a million manufacturing jobs and reduce our dependents on foreign oil and college tuition under control and governor romney still hasn't explained how those $5 trillion tax cuts targeted towards the wealthiest americans would unleash job creation.

we pass tax cuts for the wealthiest in 2001 and 2003 and led to a slower pace of job creation than you've seen over the past few years. >> you know after four years or moving on four years of his presidency the president still today saying it will ta a few more years to fix the problem, especially in a place like virginia and some other key battleground states. that has to be a tough sell right now for people who are still unemployed and they need a job today, they don't need it in a few more years. >> well, and that's why we had an honest conversation lout the campaign about where we were in 2008. the progress that we've made and the fact that we need to do more. i mean, we're overcoming what was the worst recession since the great depression. we're losing 800,000 jobs a month when the president came into office. that report you mentioned today made clear that more than 5.1 million sector],obs have been created over the past few years. manufacturing jobs were in decline. 500,000 manufacturing jobs have been created during thissed a a

administration. republicans have abstructed the actions that the president has put forward that could create more jobs today. a piece of legislation that republicans in the senate voted down last week they could have created jobs for 20,000 veterans across this country. he has plans to restore enomic security for the middle class. that's what he talks about in the two-minute ad that you played earlier on the show and the fact that mitt romney's budget plan would both shrink the economy and could eliminate a million jobs he wants to cut back in all the areas, areas like education and research and development and infrastructure and manufacturing. countries around the world are racing to invest in these areas. >> be thanks very much for coming in. >> thanks for having me, wolf. election day is hee, at least for voters in iowa where earlyvoting begins today. we're going there live john king is standing by. [ale anuncer ] now you can swip.. scroll... tap... pinch... and zoom...

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the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has r worko well. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... i'm also a survivor of ovarian a writand uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick...and then i got better.

we're still 40 days away from the president election, but millions of americans are already casting their ballots and that includes residents of iowa where early voting began today. our chief national correspondent john king is live for us. >> the president has a bit of momentum, it is a thursday, not a tuesday. it is september, as you noted, a full 40 days until november 6th but in iowa, today's election day. >> thank you smuch for coming. >> reporter: mind made up and ballot cast 40 days early. this opening line is in iowa city. this one in des moines. iowa's early voting, part of an important and growing national trend. 35 states now allow some form of in-person voting, including

seven of the nine personal battleground cnn ranks as toss-ups. here in iowa the early numbers and turn out suggest a big obama head start. so far, a nearly five to one democratic advantage statewide in requesting early mail-in ballots. >> i'm wondering if the president will have your support this november? osam. >> reporter: when it comes to early in-person voting, getting younger voters in the bank early. >> you may know that in-person early voting starts tomorrow in iowa. so, basically, for us here at the campaign every day is going to be election day. >> yes, we can. >> reporter: johnson county, home to the university of iowa, led the state four years ago when 55% of its ballots were cast early. >> the entire world is watching us. >> reporter: as president of the university democrats, catherine's job was getting her fellow students to vote now. fair to say, not the most reliable, if you just wait for one day. >> yeah, no, i mean things

coming up and you can have an exam and realize you don't know what your precinct is. >> veteran republican strategist concedes president obama is ahead as september winds down and early voting opens. >> anybody that knows football knows that fourth quarter is where most of the action happens. october will be big and if romney has a good start to the month, we'll be fine. >> reporter: grubs was against making too much of the early rush. >> in 2010 democrats had the edge in early voting, as well. i can't tell you exactly what the edge was, but it was a significant edge and republicans still swept the state. it's a difference of strategy. if you put your money in the last three weeks or early voting. >> the gop sent the first early vote mailing just this week. >> can mitt romney and paul ryan count on your support this november election? excellent. and would you be interested in voting early this election? >> reporter: karen is credited with making the iowa gops 1

millionth voter call. >> i'm calling with a brief three-question survey with issues that matter to iowa. >> reporter: she is doing her part as republicans play early voting catchp. >> we're working hard here and rolling up our sleeves and putting our boots on and we're going at it. we still have time. >> and as republicans play that game of catch up, wolf, one thing that helps them, they have parity when it comes to statewide voter registration. the biggest help when mitt nce rfmaxt week. a debate they say young people. they understand the energy, the enthusiasm isfrom down historymaking year in 2008. if they can geeos votes in the bank early, all the t rn t publicbase, the democratic party base, but e undecid, the indeents, i takewrong,john. theyant to see the three presidential debates, the one vice presidentia

then they'llake up their mind. >> exactly right. because imagine if you we somebody who was swayed by a tv ad last night or something you saw in theewser the past couple days. you cast that ballot today and there is a big moment in the debate and you changeour mind, too late to get it back. if you're undecided, you're likely to wait. th people tanng i l fo bothrties. are le whore andhtter what.osin republicans say in the as r if ey vote get their base outt rly or late, it is the most influenced ithemiddle. >> ksery much, joh king, for us in iowa. kate, those debates powerfully important. >> more so than in past election cycles. >> i think > terrorist on the a libya. ntls are now speaking out with someof the bluntest language yet. you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been do

you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, ani get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪

a man behind that anti-muslim film that provoked so much anger and rage has been arrested. he just appeared via conference. cnn miguel marquez is joining us on the phone. tell us viewers, miguel, what happened. nakoula basseley nakoula has been ordered for a preliminary bail hearing. he has been arrested. my understanding from the sources that he will either pay the bill today or taken into custody. all of this he is ahead of a full revocation hearing. a proivation revocation hearing.

remember, he is on five years probation for bank fraud and talked to by probation officers and clearly a feeling in the federal courts that he violated that probation order and now this is the first step towards that full revocation hearing. we believe, wolf, that hears not occurred yesterday. something extraordinary the court is going through judge schneider's courtroom has been locked down in downtown l.a. no reporters allowed in and all reporters are watching it in anotherria television screen. trailer that s posted on youtube. miguel, thanks very much. also news we're following, the u.s. is removingore staff from its embassy in triptripo, libya. this is a temporary further draw down for security reasons. oue sst will be reviewed early next week with the goal of restoring staff as soon as conditions allow.

this all coming as pentagon officials and many are discussing still talking about investigating that attack on the consulate in benghazi, libya, that killed ama basder chris stevens and three others. a dramatic warning from israel's prime minister, prime minister benjamin netanyahu, but would the red line he's calling for really a stop iran's efforts toevelop a nuclear weapon? stand by.

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a red line for iran. benjamin netanyahu brought his campaign against tehran's nuclear program to the united nations general assembly today. >> if you missed it at a one point, netanyahu used a cartoon-like drawing of a bomb to illustrate his point and he literally drew that red line across it and his speech was aimed as much as the obama administration as it was at the u.n. listen here. >> the relevant question is not when iran will get the bomb. the relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop iran from getting the bomb. the red line must be drawn on iran's nuclear enrichment program and i believe faced with a clear red line, iran will back down. this will give more for sanctions and dlomacy to convince iran to dismantle it nuclear weapons program

altogether. >> let's discuss ts a litt two guests. m zogby the president o american institute and ni than toboth of you for coming in. you heard what the prime iollowed up the last hourisrael ambassador andeelaborated a littit. listen to this. >> we believe by drawing that red line, you won't be increasinghechance of military engagement, you will be signiftly lesseninthe chances because the iranians have bn pesented wied lines in the past in te straits hurmus and we know they can see the color red and cross those type of lines. >> all right, jim, is he right? >> i think the president handled it very well in thiz speech. it was very firm. i would go with the way that the president approachedtop.

>> what is the difference you see between the president's position on iran and a nuclear bomb versus the prime minister's position? >> thoughtful versus bombastic. that's the difference. ia you don't win points. you win points and you win support for the position you want to win by being thoughtful, clear and, at the same time, very direct. >> what do you make, danielle, of prime minister netanyahu speech today? >> i thought he was very clear. i didn't think he was bombastic. i thought people would be much sharper and tougher on the iranians. >> how much tougher could he be, though? >> again, he really tempered any criticism of the united states. you know, we've heard a lot coming out of jerusalem about the obama administration's unwillingness to set red lines. today, there was none of that throwing down the gauntlet to washington. he focused on the iranians and one thing i was surprised by,

how much applause he got. >> if there was a president romney in the white house, what is different in u.s. position towards iran. do you anticipate, do you think we would see a u.s./israeli strike on iran next year then? >> i am not an adviser to governor romney and he has not confided his plans to iran to me, if heha what i think he's trying to underscore is the question of credibility. right now we have a president of the united states who has said, again, again, and again. i will nottorate,his is unacceptable. all we've seen on the ground is an intensification of sanctions. sanctions are only a tool. the truth is over the last three years iran has made more progress towards a nuclear weapon than it has in the previous ten years. that is really a promise we face and what romney is trying to say is that the iranians will take him more seriously and that he will back israel. >> do you see a major difference between romney and president obama? >> absolutely. the difference is president obama is winning friends and

allies and trying very hard to build nternational coalitions based on respect. all that was squandered in the eight years that proceeded his adnistration and the slow, steady process of regaining trust has been aifficult one. look, he didn't get a magic wand when he was elected. he got the shovethat grge bush was using to dig deep holes and he's trying to get the hole. as, for example, we want to see on syria, can only come about if you have willing to that with le don't ha that with syria. right now, it's ver d wi iran. we donot wa to see a unilateral action by anyonei iran, but inationaprsure ismoting, sanctions are workg and prest oba sayinghe d is no bomb and, frankly, ieles it. shovels and all the rest o it, you're really a numbers guy and i think the erspeak r themselves. the h is we're even less

popular in the middle east than we were on to thebush administtion. >> te are mybe that's exactly a fair case. we're the same level and the reason why isec the things -- >> oh, it's all george bush's fault. come on, that's getting little -- >> preside obama di not deliver, but one reason he wasn't able to l many washe obstruction that he faced at home. the slam down that he got by ngss last yearas embarrassing to the un states of amica and took a heavy toll. you've neveseen an administration hat has cow tailed more and tried more in the arab anduslim worlto gain friends and influence people and the truth is that it's polit s,maer not sucking up thatmatters. >> if you look at the way that libya and egypt has responded to these cris. you saw something that did not happen in the past -- you mean nocondemnation of violence. >> he condemned it -- >> he condemned it 48 hours later. >> you have a new poll that is out that your organization the

zogby poll, your brother is the pollster. how important is the u.s. outreach to the arab anduslim th likely among arrack and muslim world. there is a consistent added to that it is really important to reach out to the arab and muslim worlds. >> my community is a bridge to that world and needs to be taken absl vote matters and what they're saying they favor president obama still. >> overwhelmingly? >> overwhelming, almost two to one. a gap between the vote he got in 2008 and now in part and that is based on some disappointment and he hasime w it between now and november. 85% of republicans say outreach is important to them. i mean, do you think when wre looking at this presidential ra, do you think mitt romney has done that? has done enough oueach, peally when you okat his reaction right after the libyan attacks and the protests in the

middle eas >> outreach to o? oueach tthe terrorists that committed the attack in libya r outreach to e mids >> reachuto terrorists. you know, they want to fight th terroristsbut people do want reht to the ddle east. >> i t tt y president of the united states, whether it' going to be obama or romney is going ave arab world. the probm is, in the arab world the thing theyos fear right now is a grong and threatening an. th w ybod's what you hear f they'rnoa abou hing eiha held, thereafra whether america gog to have their back and ptely th ing erthat that is america isrereating and their biggest concern. hear a a pivot to no serious abou their problems any moe. >> i nt to move on,utnt to say ? mericas paying attention tosia and also pay attention mihericroach to policy we haven't had it. but is american gernmen the mi?

no. and it cannot afford to. the economic tsat we ha, number two bec we're eply terms of personneand other inres and allies that we have. been very clear, not only about rira, but clear to establish the need of relationships with these emerging and provide them with the assistance they need to move forward. we can't start this arab spring and not direct this arab spring, but we need to be serious. >> not in a, of course. >> if we took the approach that president romney or frez mccain would have taken to syria, we would be now today engaged with ground troops in syria creating a humanitarian -- >> you're a prettyagr commander in chief for these guys. i don't think either suggested that. >> they call for a humanitarian commander. you occupy syrian territory. >> i don't think that is what that means.

>> seizing territory. >> all i can tell you is that mouthing -- >> the american pple- are the american people ready for that kind of approach? the answer is no. >> i can'ta er you quite at muc but't tnk ignoring the death of 30,000 people is the right approach. >> no one is ignoring the death of 30,000 people. the regime is horrific and the president has spoken about that. t te anno interviews with mitt romney and john mccain, they are not e willt ut in my supporting u.s. ground forces going in. i think they have something more along the line like in air strikes or whatever, or a no-fly zone whichs whatheydi libya. >> military has been very clear about the fact if you establish a no-fly zone, you have to take out air defense systems which, in syria, are much more advance ed than they were in libya. this is not a cake walk, as we were told by many republicans, as we went into iraq. >> not everything about is about george bush. we need to take our foreign policy seriously now and act

like grown ups who aren' -- you know, that important. >> can we continue this conversation in the other >> we're going to take it outside. >> no, we'll continue it here in "the situation room" butoro weeo come. >> i would like toontinue the conversation. >> we will. foreign policy is critillyimpor lot. we'll take a quickreak and be right back. our abundaatural gas iseag money, proding cleaner electricit putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy futurew. borin [ jack ] after uren broke up me, with i went to the citi private pass page [ jack ] and decid to beot boring.ith

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continue our conversation with jim zogby, the president of the american arab institute and danielle, the vice president of foreign and defense policy at the american enterprise institute. jim, you were in charlotte at at cvention, i was there, the los angeles may

villaraigosa. remember when he declared that they were amending the platform to declare jerusalem and i want to play the clip because, at the end, there is an intriguing moment. >> all those delegates in favor say aye. all those delegates opposed say no. and the opinion of the chair two-thirds have voted in the affirmative, the motion is adopted. and the platform has been amended as shown on the screen. >> air a air rab americans were standing there. >> not the convention's finest hour. in fact, cast a poll for a couple of days on the proceedings. we should have been talking the next day about bill clinton's incredible speech and instead i was talking to reporters about this fiasco and, frankly, it shouldn't have happened and shouldn've ppened the way it happened. the language that got added at the end of the day was

inconsequential. jerusalem is the capital of israel. it is going to be the capital of iso the capital of a palestinian state. it said that it haso be negotiparties. we agree with that. all ofth embasment prov po that nobody needed .arrassment and wa wro was an >> dane, one other issue that took center stage todat the natns with abb the middle east pee ce. was >>r lack there of >>[[ or l. sten tomi'm re you're awaof but listen to theseomments that mitt romney made at fd-iser ck in may. list to this. >> i'm torn by two perspectives in this regard. pa interest whatsoever in establishing peace and that the pawa to peace is

almost u.n. thinkable to accomplish. pathw to peace is almost unthinkablto accomplish i mean, what do you make of those remarks? do these hurt him? i mean,houn't he be more optimistic in running for president than he can kick start this,aga >> the pce proce isne of those thinhat cony everybody bris new vigor to it me place.body en up in the we've seen thisde afterpresident, republicans and it doesn't maer party idreality.mes f.unhaey does that mean that haso efuture? i don't think it has to be the see is apalest ngrupa palestinian territory that isn't doing any bette than it has been. >> when he says that palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace. if you look at the leadership of the palestinian authority, mahmoud abbas, the prime minister, they have clearly stated they would like to establish peace of a two-state solution. that's different than amhamas a

gaza. >> you know, they both complain. both sides complain. the palestinians complain and the israelis complain. they're mirror images in many ways because they are complaining the other side isn't really willing to do what it takes. at the end of the day, what we've seen up to now, that is the reality. they haven't been willing to do what it takes. >> should president obama have been doing more in trying to push for this? >> i think he tried but i think what he was unable to do was to deal with the problems in congress. the slap down that he got from his own congress when they invited benjamin netanyahu and gave him 29 standing ovations in order, as he rebuked their own president. was humility and across the middle east, it actually was devastating to people. they said, is this how your congress treatsent? one is the occupier and the other is the occupied -- >> i don't thinkthat'sit accute. come on. >> tually, if you say the palestinians aren'tccupied,

don't know what yod call it. territory for hem selselves and they mismanaged -- >> when we polled in 2006 fore thti wesked the qution, ifeace w possible, who would you vote for? 73% of those vot for hamas who id t wer hamas voters said they would have voted if they tho pce were possib. they didn't think it was possible. the point is i you gve people and hope that peace wille u ually move in that direction, the palestinian c constituency will come along. right now one leader unwilling to make peace. >> and another unwilling to make peace. >> that's the problem. >> you can't have a one-sided version of history and you can't have a one-sided version of policy. it just doesn't work. the reality is we don't have a peace. next president is going to have to dedicate himself to, but clearly the pathway that we've been down so many times hasn't led to peace. >> but the way to start that is not -- >> that's why the president

isn't talking about it in the race. >> we'll see what happens after the election. my own sense is that they have to try. it's too important. there's a peace group among the israelis and a peace group among the palestinians and they have to find a way. they need help from the outside. my personal recommendation, whoever is the next president of the united states, they invite bill clinton to be the special middle east peace negotiator and he has credibility and -- >> took the words out of my mouth. i went with clinton in '98 to gaza and jerusalem and bethlehem and i saw him talk over the heads of both leadership and win people to his side. his problem was that he pushed too late. >> he did, but he gave everything he could -- >> never too late. peace is too important. >> look where we are. >> the reason it didt rk was theis presidency. >> let's look forward. >> let's get him involved in this peace process after this election. well, maybe res uld be smart to do it. all right, guys, thanks for

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top u.s. officials sll seem to be getting on the same page abouthether or not the adly attack in bengzi was a over theast few dayisat inves. 'sot re and more confusg and from our reporting here,s tooil down to at appears to b a split betwthe intelligence ommittee in the united states and the white house and state depame on the other side. in terms of whether it was a

terrorist attack and responsible. obviously, al-qaeda now is different than al-qaeda was a few years ago, but groups linked to al-qaeda, inspired by al-qaeda, are the groups they are say iing was responsible an they're saying the government knewithin 24 hours. we're going to be joined by a top senator who has put out a letter who said he wants all the information sent by ambassador stevens. senator corker is going to be our guest tonight and nancy pelosi says she can win the house. she keeps saying it, so we found out whether the claim adds up. >> anxious to hear. they need 25 seats. a gain of 25 seats for her to become the speaker of the house once again. i'm anxiously looking foit, kate. kate. >> kate's right the. >> kate. >> see you guys. 6> erin, thank you. when come back, what o reporterid that got him a good on the job soaking. the ones who inspire us,

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the art world is buzzing over claims that this painting is a predecessor of the world's most famous portrait. it appears to show his famous subject at a younger age. experts are trying to authenticate the work if it is by di vinci, it would be worth $300 million. i can see a book or movie being made right now. all a miami tv reporter wanted to do was ask a couple of questions. here's jeanne moos. >> please don't water the reporter. >> i'm sorry to bother you, i'm

michael -- >> wplg's senior political reporter was trying to get a comment from a former candidate reportedly under investigation for campaign impro pryties when the man's wife doused chael. he responded the way any red blooded reporter would. >> i hope you were rolling. >> yeah. >> we are all wet. >> maybe the reporter should have approach ed the the door wearing goggles because the writing was on the wall. no comment, the sign on the door read, trespassers will be wet. >> thankfully, that was cool tap water. kind of refreshing. >> sure beats the steaming hot water thrown at a flasher at a java girl's drive through. >> water landed on his face and

chest and he said oh, yeah. >> they seemed less titillated when water flew after they called each other. convicted van der sloot once through wine on a crime reporter. tom cruz got squirted by british pranksters. bug spray. at least the guy leaving a connecticut courtroom shook the cane. >> i got it. >> before he let a camera man have it with hornet and wasp spray. but what really stings isn't getting doused with water -- >> stop that [ bleep ] right now. >> it's getting hit with the empty bottle. tt's not appropriate. >> i don't give a [ bleep ]. >> cnn, new york.

>> tough crowd. it's so ofro that you and i and a lot of our colleagues are going to a special dinner, freedom of the press. >> we may get water thrown on us, but at least it's -- >> erin burnett starts rig now. it has finally happened after a series of conflicting statements. administration official has directly used the t word to describe the attack in libya and now, republicans want answers. karl rove and nancy pelosi are making some pretty strong predictions about the 2012 races. these are two people known for putting it out out there. we looked at the pelosi rove combo to see which adds up. an